Attachment for locomotive-inspirators.



W. H. GARDNER.

ATTACHMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVE INSPIRATORS.

APPLICATION FILED 001214, 1912.

1,081,301 Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

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W. H. GARDNER.

ATTACHMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVE INSPIRATORS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.14, 1912.

81 301 0 Patented Dec. 16 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"WILLIAM HENRY GARDNER, 0F $UTHYERLANID, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.

ATTACHMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVE-INSPIRATOBS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVILLIAM HENRY GARDNER, of the village of Sutherland, in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Locomotive-Inspirators, of which the following is the specification.

The invention relates to an attachment for locomotive inspirators and the object of the invention is to provide a device whereby the overflow from the inspirator of a locomotive can be utilized in the summer time for wetting the ashes deposited from the grates into the ash-pans of the locomotive and in the winter time when not required can be cut ofl? from the ash pan and directed to the ground, the particular feature being that little time and little expense are incurred when making the change. l-leretofore locomotives have been supplied with a device for this purpose but a great deal of time and piping have been wasted in making the change. My invention completely overcomes these diiiicultics and allows the change to be made in a very few minutes by simply undoing a number of couplings, shifting a certain part and then re-coupling.

lVith the object above stated in view the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construct-ion of parts hereinafter more particularly described and later pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 represents a side view of an engine and tender supplied with my device. Fig. 2 represents a more or less diagrammatical end view of the engine with the ash pan in section and my device applied. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view through the inspirator and adjoining parts portions of the pipe leading from the injector being shown in side elevation.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 represents an engine of any approved form of which 2 is the boiler, 3 the cab, 4!.- the drive wheels, 5 and 6 the ash pans and 7 the fire box.

8 represents a tender connected to the oilgine providing forwardly as is customary a coal box 9 and rearwardly a water reservoir or tank 10.

For convenience in explanation I have represented the height of Water in the boiler Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 14, 1912.

Patented Dec. 16,1913. Serial No. 725,606.

by the dotted line XX Figs. 1 and 2 the space above this dotted line being considered as filled with live steam as is customary.

11 represents an inspirator as is usually employed on engines. It comprises the following parts :a casing 12 containing a steam valve 13, a steam nozzle 14, a tube 15, an overflow valve 16 and a condensing tube 17. 18 is the inspirator overflow pipe and 19 the inspirat-or feed water pipe,20 the inspirator water supply pipe and 22 a hand piece controlling the steam valve 13. I am not enlarging on the details of the construction of these parts as they form no part of my in vention being simply shown so that the attachment and its operation can be more easily understood.

The pipe 21 leads to the top of the boiler at any point above the line X-X' so that said pipe is constantly supplied with live steam. The pipe 20 leads to the water tank and the pipe 19 leads to the boiler at any point below the line XX, a check valve 23 being supplied in this pipe adjoining the boiler, said valve preventing a back flow of water from the boiler through the feed pipe.

The inspirator is used to pass water from the tank 10 to the boiler through the pipe 19, the water being raised and forced by the action of steam entering the inspirator through the pipe 21. The valve, which is primarily seated on the nozzle 1 1 is initially opened a small amount which permits steam to flow through the overflow valve 16 and to the overflow pipe 18. The steam in flowing through the pipe 15 carries with it some of the air from the supply pipe 20 thereby creating a partial vacuum in the pipe. The water accordingly rises in the supply pipe owing to the action of the atmospheric pressure on the water in the supply tank 10. This water however has not suflicicnt ve locity to pass through the check valve into the boiler and consequently it passes also, through the valve 16, into the overflow pipe. The steam valve is then fully opened and as the steam comes in contact with the stream of water flowing around the nozzle 1 1- into the tube 15 it forces the water along with increasing velocity the water and steam entering the tube 17 together. The steam is condensed in this tube and forms a vacuum that imparts more energy to the feed water besides heating it. The heated water is accordingly passed into the boiler against the boiler pressure and the overflow valve is closed on account of the partial vacuum in the inspirator.

The overflow through the pipe 18 in the above description is what is utilized at present for wettin the ashes passed to the ashpan. In locomotives now in use, in summer time a pipe leads from the overflow pipe downwardly to the ash-pans where it branches and passes across the two ashpans customarily provided. In winter time where it is not desirable to have the overflow water passed into the ash pans the pipe last mentioned is removed from the overflow pipe and a second pipe is installed on the engine and connected to the overflow pipe, the second pipe being directed to the ground at any suitable location behind the ash pans. This is a laborious and expensive operation and my attachment overcomes it in a simple and inexpensive manner. The attachment is now described.

24 is U-shaped member or casting having the onebranch 25 thereof supplied with a duct 26 and the other branch 27 thereof plugged or closed, both branches having their lower extremities exteriorly threaded at 28 and 29 to receive coupling pieces 30 and 31 respectively. The casting is interiorly threaded at 32 at the top at the approach to the duct 26 and receives a pipe 33 provided with an outturned flange 34 received within a coupling 35 screwed onto the lower end of the inspirator outlet pipe 18.

36 is a permanently located pipe carried by the engine having the upper end outwardly flanged at 37 and received within the coupling piece 30 the lower end of said pipe being fitted with a T-fitting 38 carrying short pipes 39 connected through elbows 40 with cross pipes 41 and 42 located above the ash pans 5 and 6. These latter pipes are suitably perforated to spray water into the ash pans. 43 is a second permanently located pipe carried by the engine having the upper end thereof fitted within outturned flange it received within the coupling 31 and the lower end thereof passing to the ground beneath the ash pan.

In summer time when it is desirable to have the ashes wet by the overflow from the inspirator the connections are made as best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In winter time however where the above is not desirable the engineer or attendant has simply to undo the couplings 30 and 31 and release the coupling 35 sufl'iciently to permit the casting to be reversed. The coupling 35 is then tightened up and the coupling 30 is screwed onto the lower end of the branch 27 of the casting while the coupling 31 is screwed onto the lower end of the branch 25 of the casting. The overflow will then pass through the duct 26 to the pipe l3 where it is directed to the ground. It will be seen that this change can be quickly made and that there is no loss of material.

IVhat I claim as my invention is 1. In a locomotive the combination with the inspirator supplied with a suitable overflow pipe and the ash pans thereof, of a drip pipe leading to the ash pan, a drip pipe leading to the ground and adjustable means releasably connected to the overflow pipe and to the drip pipes, said means being provided with a single duct designed to con nect one or other of the drip pipes with the overflow pipe in the adjusted position of said means, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a locomotive the combination with the inspirator supplied with a suitable overflow pipe and the ash-pans thereof, of a stationary'drip pipe carried by the locomotive and leading to the ash pans, a second stationary drip pipe carried by the locomo tive and leading to the ground and an ad justable casting releasably secured to the overflow pipe and to the drip pipes, said casting being provided with a duct arranged to connect the overflow pipe with one or other of the drip pipes in the adjusted positionv of the casting, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a loco-motive the combination with the inspirator supplied with a suitable overflow pipe and the ash-pans thereof, of a stationary drip pipe carried by the locomotive and leading to the ash-pans, second stationary drip pipe carried by the locomotive and leading to the ground and an adjustable casting provided with two branches one branch having a duct therein and the other branch being permanently closed or solid, a coupling securing the casting releasably to the overflow pipe and couplings carried by the drip pipes designed to connect the branches of the casting releasably with the drip pipes, as and for the purpose specified.

l. In a locomotive the combination with the inspirator supplied with a suitable overflow pipe and the ash-pans thereof, of a stationary drip pipe carried by the locomotive and leading to the ash-pans, a second sta tionary drip pipe carried by the locomotive and leading to the ground, said drip pipes having their upper ends provided with outwardly directed flanges, interiorly threaded coupling pieces carried by the upper ends of the drip pipes and receiving the flanges, a casting supplied with two branches arranged to span the ends of the drip pipes one of said branches being provided with a ductand the other of the branches being closed or solid and both of said branches having their lower ends eXteriorly threaded to receive the couplings aforesaid, a

short pipe threaded into the casting and Signed at Winnipeg in the Province of opening to the upper end of the duct, said Manitoba, Canada, this 21st day of June, pipe having the upper end thereof out- 1912.

wardly flanged and a coupling receiving the WILLIAM HENRY GARDNER. 5 flange 01": the pipe and threaded onto the In the presence of lower end of the overflow pipe, as and for J. M. TAPLEY,

the purpose specified. I ROLAND FOSTER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G." 

